Friday, May 25, 2012

Our week in Waikiki

We just returned home to Hawaii Island after a week in Waikiki. We were
very surprised at how much Waikiki has changed since our last visit. Two
years ago, the sidewalks of Waikiki were empty during the day and filled with
aggressive beggars and street “performers” during the night. Cranes filled the
skyline, construction workers flooded the Starbucks, and construction zones
re-routed pedestrians and cars. The state was in a panic over the lack
of tourism revenue, visitors from Asia were waning, airlines were cutting
flights, and hotels were offering very low rates to attract visitors.

What a difference two years can make. Waikiki
reminded us more of central Tokyo than Hawaii. The sidewalks, restaurants, and
stores were filled with tourists morning through night. Brightly lit signs and
flashing lights adorned the streets and heavily air conditioned store interiors were advertising high fashion
European clothing and products. Ala Moana Mall was absolutely
packed with shoppers, the merchandise has been up scaled (if that is possible),
and the prices in stores like Macy’s have sky rocketed.

Many of the store fronts advertised jobs and most of the
businesses could have used more workers.
Our favorite breakfast place, the Wailana Coffee House, had every table
full on Saturday morning in their huge restaurant, even though an IHop was
right next door.

We had to push through crowds in the Waikiki hotel lobbies, hotel bars were overflowing, and lounge chairs around hotel pools that were
empty two years ago, were filled with vacationers. The Japanese are back in force, perhaps to
escape the heat of Tokyo during a hot summer of power shortages in Japan. We watched large groups of Chinese visitors
being toured through high end stores to spend their excess US dollars. May is off-season in Hawaii, but you would
not have known it in Waikiki last week.

The massive construction projects are over and it makes
walking on the sidewalks in Waikiki much more fun. The cranes and construction
have been replaced with lines of gleaming buildings, shiny new sidewalks,
endless storefronts,
and exotic restaurants from the Hilton to the Hyatt. There were a
few people in bathing suits carrying surf boards near the beach, but they
were sparse compared to tourists decked out in upscale clothes popping in
and out of air conditioned stores along the main drag. We walked along the
beach front from the Hilton to the ponds at Kuhio beach and sadly even more of
the sand in front of the hotels is missing. The efforts to replenish the sand
this year has not kept up with the erosion.

The military presence in Waikiki is very prominent compared
to years before. The Hale Koa Military hotel next to the Hilton cut down the
huge bushes that used to block their view from the people on the strand.
Military men and women are conspicuously present on the edges of Waikiki.
They are with their families or in groups in and out of uniform walking to the
many bars and entertainment spots in the area.

Coming from the Big Island, the differences felt
overwhelming. The noise, traffic, lights, and frantic pace
in Waikiki are a huge contrast from the quiet, empty island we live on. The
crowds of visitors in Waikiki makes it even more obvious how few tourists we
have on the Big Island where the stores and restaurants are sparsely filled
during this off-season. Though the crush of visitors in Waikiki has to be
helping the state’s tax income, it sure would be nice to get some of the
windfall, jobs, and income on our island.